Westlake (NYSE:WLK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Mizuho Analyst Says

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) had its price target hoisted by equities researchers at Mizuho from $88.00 to $97.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective suggests a potential downside of 5.56% from the company’s current price.

WLK has been the topic of a number of other reports. Bank of America raised Westlake from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $87.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective (up from $85.00) on shares of Westlake in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $92.00 price objective (down from $93.00) on shares of Westlake in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Westlake in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $78.00 price target on shares of Westlake and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.07.

Westlake Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE:WLK traded down $1.46 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $102.71. 444,314 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,425,417. The company has a market cap of $13.17 billion, a PE ratio of -13.85, a P/E/G ratio of 46.82 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.39. Westlake has a one year low of $56.33 and a one year high of $114.75. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $85.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.30.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.25) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $1.22. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. Westlake had a negative net margin of 8.34% and a negative return on equity of 0.78%. The business’s revenue was down 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.06 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Westlake will post 6.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Westlake news, Chairman Albert Chao sold 40,836 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.57, for a total transaction of $3,004,304.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 627,722 shares in the company, valued at $46,181,507.54. The trade was a 6.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westlake

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd raised its position in shares of Westlake by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 4,386,635 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $324,348,000 after purchasing an additional 472,224 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Westlake by 7,239.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,220,717 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $312,080,000 after purchasing an additional 4,163,207 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Westlake by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,917,329 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $289,647,000 after buying an additional 477,698 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Westlake during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $160,548,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Westlake by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,885,678 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $139,431,000 after buying an additional 585,438 shares in the last quarter. 28.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Westlake

Here are the key news stories impacting Westlake this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EPS beat and adjusted loss narrowed — Westlake reported a smaller-than-expected loss per share (beat vs. consensus), and management’s adjusted results helped stocks react positively after the print. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Shares rose intra-day as the adjusted loss narrowed despite the sales decline — market reaction reflected relief on profitability trends and execution. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Business development: expanded distribution in India with Brenntag to broaden epoxy reach in Asia‑Pacific, supporting future growth opportunities. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance cautious: BMO Capital kept a Hold rating and $108 target citing balanced risk/reward — acknowledges cost-saving upside but is wary of the market headwinds. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presentation and call materials are available — they detail cost actions, segment trends and outlook commentary that investors will parse for 2026 recovery signals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and weaker demand: Q4 sales of $2.53B fell short of estimates (~$2.61B) and were down ~10.9% year‑over‑year due to weak volumes and lower selling prices, pressuring top‑line momentum. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability metrics remain weak: the company reported a negative net margin and negative ROE for the quarter, and TipRanks flagged a significant full‑year loss, keeping near‑term financial pressure on the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market headwinds remain: management emphasized weak volumes/pricing that compressed margins — until volumes/pricing normalize or cost savings accelerate, upside may be limited. Read More.

About Westlake

Westlake Corp. is a global manufacturer of petrochemicals, polymers and building products, serving customers across industrial and residential markets. The company’s core operations encompass the production of vinyls—primarily polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and its key feedstock vinyl chloride monomer (VCM)—as well as chlor-alkali products including caustic soda and chlorine. In addition, Westlake produces ethylene, propylene and specialty elastomers, along with construction-related materials such as vinyl siding, trim, windows and roofing systems.

Operating a network of vertically integrated plants and distribution centers, Westlake serves markets in North America, Europe and Asia.